Demountable backstop for bouncing ball game apparatus



.June 28, 1955 G. H. FoRsY'rH 2,711,899

DEMOUNTABLE BACKSTOP FOR BOUNCING BALL GAME APPARATUS Filed July 29. 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 28, 1955 G. H. FoRsYTH 2,711,899

DEMOUNTABLE BACKSTOP FOR BOUNCING BALL GAME APPARATUS Filed July 29, 1955 s sneeis-sheet 2 June 231. 1955 Q H, FORSYTH 2,711,899 DEMOUNTABLE BACKSTOP FOR vBOUNCING BALL GAME APPARATUS Filed July 29, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 24. II 27 F29 Il DEMUUNTABLE BACKSTOP FOR BO-UNCING BALL GAME APPARATUS l `George H. Forsyth, Chicago, lll. Application July 29, 195s, serial No. 371,018

` s claims. (ci. 27s- 30) ,This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for a table court game of the type played with a paddle or bat and a ball, and more particularly to the type of game broadly disclosed in'my Patent No. 2,614,839, issued October 21, 1952, and Patent No. 2,629,594, issued February 24, 1953. erally horizontal table court having a forwardly inclined abutment wall at one end so that two opposing players stand at opposite or player position end of the court and alternately strike the ball towardvthe abutment wall for rebound on the playing surface. The game apparatus has a characteristic basic relationship between the height and angleof inclination of the playing portion of the abutment wall and the length of the horizontal playing court surface, whereby a ball directed toward the abutment wall during play, and striking the playing portion thereon, will always be rebounded initially toward the court surface short of the player position end of the table.

In the form of game apparatusdisclosed in my abovementioned patents, the end abutment wall is integral with and fixed at a predetermined angle to the playing court so that the table court forms an integral part of the apparatus, especially designed for playing the game.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a simple, economical and convenient form of demountable backstop `or abutment device-consisting of an end panel, with two side panels attached thereto, so formed and arranged that the backstopcan be readily set up on any ordinary or conventional table of proper dimensions to provide a combined backstop or abutment wall and playing' court surface having the basic characteristic relationship of the game above referred to, but wherein the end backstop can be bodily removed from the table and folded into compact form for storing in an out-of-way place, thus permitting the table to be used for other purposes when said game apparatus is not set for play thereon.

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View showing a demountable backstop made in accordance with my invention as it is set up in playing position on the top of a conventional table;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detail face view showing the backstop removed from the table top and folded up as when not in use;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the backstop in folded position, as in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a perspective view similar to Figure 1, but showing a variant form of backstop having an end abutment wall made up of two panels arranged at a wide angle to each other;

Figure 7 is a sectional view of the form of backstop shown in Figure 6; and

The game is played upon a genalii 2,71 1,899 Patented June 2,8, 1955 ice Figure 8 is a detail top plan view of the backstop of Figures 6 and 7, but in folded position.

Referring now to details of the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, one form of demountable backstop is shown in Figures l to 5, inclusive, which consists of an end abutment panel 10 with two side wall panels 12, 12 hinged along opposite side edges thereof.A

The end panel 10 is provided with a horizontal boundary line 11 along the playing face thereof, to define a certain playing area 11a on said end panel below said boundary line. The bottom edges 13, 13 of the side wall panels are cut away at a predetermined acute angle to the meeting bottom edge'14 of the end panel 10 so that, when the side wall panels are swung outwardly at similar diverging angles to the end panel, as shown in Figure 1, the three panels may be set upon the top surface of any conventional table of suitable size, as indicated generally at 15, so that the end panel 10 provides a forwardly inclined abutment wall at one end of the table and, together with said table top, forms a playing court having the characteristic basic relationship of court length to height and inclination of the playing area 11a on end panel 10 whereby a ball directed toward said end panel during play from the opposite or playing end of the court, and striking the playing area 11a below the horizontal boundary line 11, will always be rebounded initially toward the table or court surface short of the playing end of said court.

It will be understood that the aforesaid basic relationship between the court length and the height and angle of inclination of the playing area 11a on the end panel 10 should be such that a plane intersecting the boundaryv line 11 at right angles to the end panel should meet the edge of the table substantially at the player position end, as indicated by the dotted line A-A in Figure 2. With my hinged side panels 12, 12 of the demountable backstop, the angular relationship of the bottom edges 13, 13 of the side panels 12, 12 is such as to permit, within reasonable limits, a variation in the angle of inclination of the end panel 1i) and its playing surface 11a to the sur# face of any table on which the backstop may be mounted for play. Accordingly, the backstop can be set up withl its side panels diverging at slightly different angles to the end panel so as to accommodate the backstop to slightly diierent lengths of playing court or table surface, as measured from the base of the end panel to the far edge of the table, which constitutes the base line at the player end of the court during play.

Although, in practice, a very satisfactory arrangement as to the height of the abutment wall and the length of the playing court has been found to be approximately two feet to six feet (that is to say, a ratio of 1 to 3), it may, in some instances, be desirable to use either a slightly longer or shorter court surface than these dimensions. For instance, the owner of the apparatus may wish to use a conventional table or desk somewhat shorter than that required to satisfy the optimum dimensions. In such case, he can set the side panels at slightly greater diverging angles than normal so as to adjust the angle of inclination of the end panel to such a shorter table.

Suitable means may be provided for holding the apparatus in place on the table surface while the apparatus is in use. In the illustrative form shown, a plurality of relatively heavy blocks 21 can be placed on the table in engagement with the outer faces of the side wall panels 12, and one or more other blocks 22 can be placed on the table in engagement with the rear face of the end abutment panel 10, to hold the three panels in playing position. In the preferred form shown, the rear blocks 22 have theirinner faces 23 cut away at an in- 3 clined angle corresponding to the optimum angle of inclination of end panel, so as to aid in setting up the backstop at the proper angle of inclination when the table is'of suhicient length. Although other holding or fastening devices can be employed, the use of separate blocks 21 are, of course, preferable as a holding means for the panels in cases where the surface of a conventional piece of furniture, such as a table or desk, is used as the playing surface of the game. In this way, the surface of the table or desk would not be marred when the apparatus is set up thereon.

When the backstop is not in use, it can be bodily removed frorn the table and the side panels 12, 12 can be folded compactly in lapping relation against the end panel 10, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, so that the entire backstop can be put away or stored until such time as it may be again set up for use.

Figures 6 to 8, inclusive, show a medied form of apparatus wherein the end abutment wall 24 is made up of two separate panel sections 25, 25 of equal size arranged at a wide dihedral angle to each other when the apparatus is set up for play. Such a wide-angled end abutment wall has certain playing advantages in a game of this type wherein the two opposing players stand in sideby-side relation at the player end of the table, be-

cause it makes for a somewhat greater diversity of rebound for each player, depending upon whether he di rects the ball toward one or the other of the end panels 25, 25. In practice, a dihedral angle between the two end panels of approximately 175 degrees has been found to be especially satisfactory for this purpose. The two end panels 25, 25 are preferably hinged along the vertical center line of the end abutment wall but at the rear faces of said end panels, as indicated at 27, so that the entire backstop, with its hinged side panels 28, 28 can be removed from the table and folded into compact form, as shown in Figure 8.

The backstop may be held in place on the table by blocks engaging the outer faces of the side panels 28, 28 and one or more blocks engaging the rear faces of the end panels 25, 25. In the form shown herein, a single block 29 has its front face cut away in a wide V and is also inclined forwardly to fit the meeting edges of the two panels 25, 25 at the proper angles to indicate when the end panels are disposed at the optimum angles to each other and to the table top,

The opposed meeting edges of the two end panels 25, 25 are preferably cut at similar obtuse angles to the striking surfaces thereof so that, when the backstop is set up as shown in Figure 7, with the opposed edges swung into engagement with each other, said panels will assume the proper wide dihedral angle with respect to each other.

Although I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A demountably mounted backstop for a ball bouncing game adapted for play on a generally horizontal table court, wherein an end abutment wall is normally inclined toward the table court at an acute angle to insure that any ball struck from the opposite or player end of said court, and rebounding from below a horizontal boundary line on said abutment wall, will always rebound on said court short of the player position end thereof, said backstop consisting of an unobstructed end panel having a boundary line marked transversely thereof parallel with its bottom edge, and a pair of side panels hinged to the opposite side edges of said panel, with their lower edges disposed at similar predetermined obtuse angles to the lower edge of said end panel, to permit the lower edges of said end panel and side panels to be set up on one end of a generally horizontal playing court surface, with said side panels unfolded from said end panel in generallyy upright position and extending toward the opposite end of said court surface with their lower edges flush with the latter, to dispose the end panel at a predetermined angle to said court surface, and said hinged side panels being collapsible in lapping relation to said end panel when the backstop is removed from the table surface.

2. A demountably mounted backstop in accordance with claim l, having means for holding the bottom edges of the end and side panels in a predetermined position on the table court, said means including a block having its inner face disposed at an angle of inclination to its base corresponding with a predetermined angle of inclination of the end panel.

3. A demountably mounted backstop in accordance with claim l, wherein the end panel consists of two similar panel sections hingedtogether lalong their upright meeting edges to form a wide dihedral angle therebetween.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 746,993 Roat Dec.. 15, 1903 1,561,934 Kennedy Nov. 17, 1925 2,066,724 Forsyth Jan. 5, 1937 2,161,463 Frost June 6, 1939 2,247,657 Girden July l, 1941 2,333,098 Forsyth Nov. 2, 1943 2,614,839 Forsyth Oct. 2l, 1952 2,629,594 Forsyth Feb. 24, 1953 

